Threatened Lands, Threatened Lives

Human Rights Situation of the Indigenous Peoples in Cambodia

This report on the human rights situation of indigenous peoples of Cambodia was prepared mainly from the contributions of indigenous peoples human rights defenders (IPHRDs) and NGOs in the country. This is an update to the AIPP publication Indigenous Peoples Human Rights Report in Asia – Cambodia, Thailand and Nepal: Towards Social Justice and Sustainable Peace published in 2006.

IPHRDs from the Indigenous Rights Active Members (IRAM) and the Cambodia Indigenous Youth Association (CIYA), through the coordination of the Indigenous Community Support Organisation (ICSO), prepared the first draft of this report as part of capacity building for IPHRDs to advocate for their rights. The communitybased CIYA and IRAM, the Organization for the Promotion of Kui Culture (OPKC) and Highland Association (HA) documented the human rights violations in their communities which formed the substantive basis of this report.

Lawyer Sek Sophorn prepared the second draft to develop further the legal and policy framework. This final draft is the collaborative work of AIPP’s Human Rights Campaign and Advocacy Programme team, particularly, Jade Tessier who diligently conducted research on the national and international policy frameworks and interpreted the cases based on these; and Charlotte Hinterberger who helped review the case factsheets. The leadership of CIYA and ICSO provided the overall supervision for the project, most especially the project coordinators, Sochea Svay and Samin Ngach.

AIPP also acknowledges the following for their support and contributions: Research and Information Center of the NGO Forum on Cambodia (NGO Forum), Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights in Cambodia (OHCHR Cambodia), Development and Partnership in Action (DPA), Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association (ADHOC), Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR), Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defence of Human Rights (LICHADO), and the Cambodia Daily newspaper.

This report aims to provide information for key players involved in the promotion and protection of the human rights of indigenous peoples in Cambodia, especially advocates, donors and policy makers.

 Click here to download report.